One of the more exciting types of movable craft produced in recent years has been the specie of movable craft generally referred to as hovercrafts. While the configuration, shape and operative elements of such hovercraft assume a variety of configurations, all generally comprise the basic elements of a hull and support structure usually formed of a lightweight rigid material together with an onboard power source such as a gasoline engine or the like. The gasoline engine is coupled to a propeller or similar fan element which is driven at high speeds to provide a forward thrust to propel the hovercraft. One or more generally planar rudders are provided to direct some or all of the propulsion stream of air to provide hovercraft steering. The hull further defines a hollow plenum which receives a portion of the airflow produced by the propeller. A plurality of air directing apertures within the hull convert the portion of the propeller air stream within the plenum into a downwardly directed air cushion. In most instances, a flexible barrier or skirt surrounds the hull about its periphery and is operative to direct and captivate the diffused air to produce a supporting air cushion beneath the hovercraft vehicle.
Hovercraft provides several basic advantages not achievable with conventional boats or similar vehicles. Among these advantages are the capability of the hovercraft to move across a variety of different terrains and surfaces supported solely by its underlying air cushion. Thus, a hovercraft is capable of moving with equal ability over the surface of bodies of water, dry land surfaces, or shallow swamp-like surfaces with great ease. This leads to substantial advantages in versatility and convenience of use. In addition, because the hovercraft moves above the surface of a body of water, it easily avoids submerged hazards and is capable of obtaining greater speeds with less power. In addition, the absence of draft generally associated with other types of vehicles moving across water such as boats, permits the hovercraft to be highly maneuverable and very unlikely to tip over.
Despite the numerous advantages associated with hovercrafts however, a basic problem has been encountered which manifests itself as a difficulty of controlling the hovercraft. While experienced operators become skilled in maneuvering and operating hovercrafts and are able to overcome such difficulties, novices or relatively inexperienced operators often have substantial problems in maneuvering and operating the hovercrafts.
These problems have led practitioners in the art to develop hovercraft which are basically compromised in their design. The most typical compromise involves the reduction of forward thrust and a proportional increase in hovering or lifting force to increase the stability of the hovercraft. Because this sacrifice of speed is often undesirable to certain hovercraft users, practitioners in the art have also provided different versions of hovercraft suited either to maximize speed with its attendant difficulty of control or maximize stability with its attendant reduced speed.
While the foregoing hovercraft provided by practitioners in the art has obtained some level of commercial success, there arises a need in the art for a system of direction and lift control for hovercraft which maximizes the craft's potential while adapting it to use for inexperienced operators.